false negatives on pregnancy test?

I am 5 days late on my period today and I have never been more than 1-2 days late in my life. I’m always every 28 days and 29 on occasion. Not stressed or anything so not sure what is going on. I keep having some mild cramping/tightness in my lower belly and back which makes me think my period is going to start but then it just doesn’t, plus it feels different than the cramps I get with AF. Not to mention breast soreness, very tired but yet very uncomfortable to sleep at night and woke up sweating last night. Not sure if those last ones are preg. symptoms, but my body just feels different. I’ve also had less of an appetite this past week but I’ve gained 2 lbs -_-

I did take a HPT at 2 and 3 days late (in the evening) and the were negative. I took one first thing this morning and also still negative at 5 days late. Am I imagining all these symptoms? I have read about the possibility of false negatives until you are 1-2 weeks late and even longer in some women. Has anyone out there ever experienced false negatives on HPTs and it turned out they were pregnant?

False negatives aren’t really a thing. Many people get a BFN because it’s too early for the hormone to show up in your urine. But at 5 days late, 99% of people would get a accurate reading on a home pregnancy test.

BUT, i doubt that is what is happening. Are you tracking your ovulation at all? By that I mean temping or taking OPK’s. My guess is you ovulated late (or didn’t ovulate at all. that happens sometimes) and that is why your period is “late”.

@Glasgowbound: I haven’t been tracking ovulation so I am not sure what happened. I just found it suspicious as I’ve never had this happen which is why I’ve been testing, but it is understandable that even after 12 years of regularity that my cycle can change. It’s still always in the back of my head these past few days, I feel like were programmed to think that a missed or late period = pregnancy. Thanks for your response 🙂

@kittylove13: we are programmed to think late period = pregnancy, but from my time TTC, I’ve learned that is actually rarely the case. A lot of the time, even when you are always regular, there is a cycle that is just wonky 🙂 No real reason, it just happens.

@Glasgowbound: I just took my temp out of curiousity and it is 99.2 and I’m not sick….In the past my temp regularly comes in the 97’s even when I think I may be sick lol….now I’m worried again! But realistically without tracking temps all month it wouldn’t really be possible to know if this is significant….

I was once a week late and took probably a pregnancy test every single day, I was convinced they had to be wrong. But another whole week passed and still no positive… went to the doctor and I had a hormone imbalance – he gave me a small prescription that would induce my period and it got me back on track. I still don’t know what caused a change like that!

@kittylove13: correct. To track ovulation through temping, you have to take your temperature first thing when you wake up (before getting up or moving much) and at the same time every day. I did it as soon as I came off of birth control to make sure I was ovulating. I learned so much about my body! I knew when I ovulated (helpful when TTC as well as when trying to avoid getting pregnant), I would see a temp drop and then know that AF would show up the next day so no guessing. I learned how long it was between when I ovulated and when AF showed up (which was important for me since it was too short – as soon as I told the doctor, I got meds and got a BFP that cycle). So it may be something you want to think about 🙂

@Glasgowbound: I think I am definitely going to start doing that! Just did some more research on it and seems like a good idea even when not TTC, so when we to start trying I will know my cycles very well (well, if they stop acting crazy like it is right now! lol). Thanks so much!

@kittylove13: I had a similar experience, and actually, going through it again right now. I thought I was pregnant – my AF was like clockwork, every 28 days. I had been on and off of BC for years, either due to financial reasons or the brand was making me sick/not working for me – I still had a regular AF regardless. So obviously, when it didn’t come, like you, I thought “pregnant”. Test after test was negative, had a blood test and THAT was negative too. My doctor sent me for an ultrasound, and nothing. I ended up getting AF on vacation and at that point, I was 10 WEEKS late. I had tests done, and nothing came up at all. My doctor has no idea why this is happening. And currently, I haven’t had AF since Jan 9, but got a BFN on the test I took – seeing my doctor again tomorrow. It sucks if you’re TTC because it gets your hopes up, but it’s not completely uncommon. Good luck! I hope AF shows up on it’s own, otherwise, there is something your doctor can give you to induce AF, as the other posters mentioned.